Helene Emma Bisson

Helene E. P. Bisson, 80, passed away on, Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at her home surrounded by her family, after battling pancreatic cancer for six months.

Helene was born in Brunswick, Maine on March 6, 1937 to the late Ruth Little and Irving Thompson Prince. She met Maurice Bisson, the love of her life, at a Dirigo Grange dance and married him on June 2, 1956. They were married for 38 years before Maurice passed away suddenly. Their first child, Ronald, passed away in June, 1957, at age three days. Helene and Maurice built their own home on Mere Point in Brunswick, and joyfully welcomed four more children. They enjoyed spending time at their camp in Cundy’s Harbor in Harpswell and eventually built a new home there which Helene designed.

Helene leaves behind her four children: Michael Bisson and his wife, Donna, of Virginia; Daniel Bisson and his partner, Terri, of Harpswell; Timothy Bisson and his wife, Lisa, of Harpswell; and Karen Lentz and her husband, Gerald, of Brunswick, six grandchildren: Dustin Bisson, Joseph Bisson, Steven Bisson, Kevin Bisson, Marissa Bisson, and Abby Lentz, two sisters: Barbara Knedler and Roberta Farmer and one brother, Hartwell Prince.

Besides her parents, husband, and son, Helene is predeceased by three sisters, Edith Prince Griffin, Florence Prince Coombs, and Alice Prince Groves, one niece, Judith Coffin Brilliant, and one nephew, Robert Field.

Maurice and Helene enjoyed traveling, especially to visit their son, Michael, who was stationed around the country with the Navy. She especially treasured two cross-country driving trips. Her husband was a Boy Scout Leader and she assisted him as a Den Mother, accompanying the Scouts on many camping trips. She loved to bake for her grandchildren and spoil them in other ways. This summer she found out she would be a great grandmother in January 2018. She was an excellent seamstress, making clothes, home decorations and doll clothes.

After working as a cafeteria worker and manager at Coffin School, Brunswick Junior High School, and Brunswick High School for 15 years, she worked at a local laundry doing alterations, mostly for local sailors. She was a cook at the Block and Tackle in Cundy’s Harbor for several years. In her retirement, she found time to spend in her garden tending to her flowers. She was an avid cribbage player, regularly beating her grandchildren and nieces and nephews. She kept in touch with a special group of friends and had regular breakfast and lunch dates with them for many years. She joined the Emblem Club in 1994 and became the Chairmen of the Brunswick Emblem Club in 2014. She was instrumental in starting the Family Crisis Center which provides local families in need with school supplies, Easter and Christmas Baskets. Her most recent passion was helping her granddaughter Abby with her Girl Scout Gold Award project: Project Grammie Square. Her Emblem Sisters and many others helped crochet, knit and collect squares to make blankets for cancer patients.

Helene made sure that the family history was preserved through all her documentation and family gatherings. In recent years, she spent a lot of time helping local historians reconstruct the history of the Merriconeag Neighborhood, home of the Prince Family for several generations. She enjoyed sharing her memories with historical groups and high school students. She loved to host family and extended family get-togethers and in her last days, many, many family members visited with her. She will be greatly missed.

Visiting hours will be held Thursday, August 17 from 6-8 PM at Stetson’s Funeral Home, 12 Federal St., Brunswick, where a funeral service will be held Friday August 18 at 11 AM. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery, Brunswick.

Donations can be made to the Brunswick Emblem Club Scholarship Fund at 179 Park Row, Brunswick, ME, 04011 to continue to support the projects that she cared about or the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue, C/O Burr Taylor, 45 Taylor Road, Harpswell, ME 04079.

Condolences may be expressed and a video tribute viewed at stetsonsfuneralhome.com